The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-05-20


can see You say "Nothing" Then ltatcn.
What IL tn "God help usl" No footlights,
but tragedy ghastlier and mightier than Ris'
tori or Edwin Booth ever enacted. No light,
no fire, 10 bread, 10 hope. Shivering In the
cold, they have had no food for twonty-four
hours. You say "Why don't they begl'
They do, but they get nothing. You says
sWhy don't they deliver themselves over ia
the almshouser' All, you would not ask that
II you ever heard tho bitter cry OF man or
child when told that he must go to tho aims
house.
"Oh" you say, "they are vicious poor, and.
therefore, they do not deserve our sympathy"
Are they viciousi So much more need they
your pity The Christian poor, God helps
them. Through their night there wrinkles
the round, merry star Of hope, and through
tho broken window pane they see the crys-
tails Of heaven; but the vicious poor, they are
moro to bs pitied. Their last light has gone
out. You excuse yourself from helping them
by saying they are SO bad, they brought this
trouble on themselves. reply, where give
ten prayers for the innocent who are suffer-
ing will give twenty prayers for the guilty
who are suffering.
The fisherman, when he sees vessel dash
ing into the breakers, comes out from his hut
and wraps the warmest hannels around those
who are most chilled and most bruised and
most battered In the wreck; and want you
to know that these vicious poor have had two
shipwrecks- shipwreck of the body, ship
wreck OF the soul-shipwreck for time, ship
wreck for eternity. Pity, by all means, the
innocent who are suffering, but pity more the
guilty.
Pass on through the alley. Open the door.
TO-" you soy, "it is locked" No, 1t is not
locked. 1t has never been locked. No
burglar would be tempted to go in there to
steal anything. The door is never locked.
Only broken chair stands against the door.
Shove it back. Go in. Strike match.
Now look. Beastliness and rags. See those
glaring eyeballs. Be careful now what you
say. Do not utter any insult; do not utter
any suspicion, if you value your life. What
is that red mark on the wall9 1t is the mark
Of murderer's hand!
Look at those eyes rising up out of the
darkness and out from the straw in the cor
ner, coming toward you, and as they
come near you your light goes out. Strike
another match. All! this is babe, not like
those beautiful children presented in baptism
This little one never smiled; it never will
smile. A flower flung on an awfully barren
beach. Obi heavenly Shepherd, fold that
little one in Thy arms. Wrap around you
wind sweeps through.
Strike another match. All! is it possible
that that young woman's Scared and bruised
face ever was looked into by maternal tender
ness? Utter no scorn. Utter no harsh word.
No ray Of hope ever will dawn on that brow.
But the light has gone out. Do not strike
another light 1t would be a mockery to
kindle another light in such place as that.
Pass out and pass down the street. Our
cities of Brooklyn and New York and all our
great cities are full of such homes, and the
worst time the third watch Of the night.
Do you know it is in this third watch of the
night that criminals do their worst worki
It is the criminals watch.
At $50 o'clock you will find them in the
drinking saloon, but toward IL they 60 to
their garrets. they get out their tools, then
they start on the street. Watching on either
ride for the police, they 20 to their work of
darkness. This is a burglar, and the false
key win soon touch the store lock. This is an
and before morning there will be
q light on the sky and cry of Sire! frel'
This is an assassin, and tomorrow morning
there will be dead body in one Of the vacant
lots. During the daytime these villains in
our cities lounge about, some asleep and some
wake, but when the third watch of the night
arrives, their eye keen, their brain cool, their
arm strong, their foo. fleet to fly or pursue,
hey are ready.
Many of these poor creatures were brought
10 in that way. They were born in thieves
garrett. Their childish toy was burglars
lark lantern. The first thing they remember
was their mother bandaging the brow of their
'ather, struck by the police club. They be-
gan by robbing boys pockets, and now they
nave come to dig the underground passage to
;he cellar of the bank and are preparing to
blast the gold vault
Just so long as there are neglected children
If the street just so long we will have these
lesperadoes. Some one, wishing to make a
good Christian point and to quote a passage
If Scripture, expecting to get Scriptural
passage in answer, said to one of these poor
ads, cast out and wretched: "When your IA
her and your mother forsake you, who then
will take you up?' And the boy said: "The
3erlice the perlice"
In the third watch of the night gambling
lOeS us WOTSG WOTk. w udU though Inc hours
% slipping away, and though the wife be
waiting in the cherries homea Stir up the
ire. Bring on more drinks Put up more
takes. That commercial. house that only O
title while ago put out sign of copartnership,
will this winter be wrecked on a gamblers
able There will be many money till that
will spring leak. A member Of congress
,ambled with a member elect and won
$4,000. The old way of getting a liv-
ng is so slow. The old way Of getting a
'o,tune is so stupid. Come, let us toss
ID and sec who shall have it. And so the
work goes on, from the wheeling wretches
pitching pennies in a rum grocery up to the
Millionaire gambler in the stock market.
In the third watch Of the night, pass down
he streets of these cities, and you hear the
lick of the dice and the sharp, keen stroke Of
he ball ON the billiard table. At these places
merchant princes dismount, and legislators,
ired of making laws, take respite in
breaking them. All classes Of people are
'obbed by this crime-the importer Of for
ign silks and the dealer in Chatham street
rocket handkerchiefs. The clerks of the
tore take hand after the shutters are put
lp, and the officers of the court while away
heir time while the jury is out.
In Baden Baden, when that city was the
greatest Of all gambling places on earth, 1t
vas no unusual thing the next morning, in
he woods around about the city, to find the